Paper Starfish

I must say that I'm finding this to be true. I've been multi-crafty lately and I find that the switching between knitting and sewing is really keeping me more excited about both. When I need a break from one, I can pick up the other!

Another hat is finished for Little Miss Sophie. I'm hoping this is one for the really teeny newborn stage at the hospital and the first few days home.

I've already posted about the ribbons hat which is more cutesy and less practical. This one has stretch from the Cascade Fixation and is machine washable. Of course, I put it on Baby Starfish to check out the shape. Remember, he is four months old and a big boy so it's too small on him!

Seriously, Mom... How many of these too-small girly hats am I going to have to wear?

I got the fabric for my first month of Sew Bee Wonky.

I love these colors together. You can't really go wrong with Kona cotton. There are so many colors from which to choose. The blocks are going to be wonky square in square. They are for Kandra who likes a modern look with no prints. Two people in our bee have already made their blocks (wow, that's fast!) and they look great!

I'll leave you with a parting shot of tonight's parmesan popovers. Yum!

Oooh, and a giveaway is definitely coming this week. Stay tuned!

Yep, I'm ready for my first giveaway! But first, let's look at July's blocks for Sew Bee Wonky.

Kandra chose solids in five different colors and asked for wonky square in square blocks. I usually like prints mixed with solids but when I see all of these blocks together in our Flickr group (linked above), I can tell it's going to make a really great modern quilt! I can't wait for her get them all together! My month is September so I'm busy collecting fabric to send to my bee quilters next month.

On to the giveaway! I'm placing my first order from KnitPicks next week. I've never ordered from them before but I have a gift card and am curious! I think I'm going to order several colors of their Palette fingering yarn to make my Dipped Infinity Scarf. Other than that I'm thinking about sock blockers or a book or something else. So for this giveaway, I will order the winner up to $15 worth of "stuff" along with my order. Whatever you want up to $15 - it could be yarn, books (I think their books are 40% off right now), patterns, etc. Don't worry about tax and shipping. I will take care of that. You just have to choose what you want if you win. I'll pick a winner from the comments on Sunday night so leave me a comment and then check back to see if you've won!

I sent my baby off to the longarm quilter the other day. I have to admit, it was a little bit hard handing it over! My first "real" quilt is almost finished. Here she is right before being sent on her way:

The green piece is the backing (Kona Tarragon) with a tiny bit of piecing with leftovers.

And according to random.org the giveaway winner is:

Amy!

Yay Amy! Let's go shopping at KnitPicks!

A couple of weeks ago, I finished my new favorite mittens!

These were a test knit of Mandy's soon to be released Radio Frequency Mittens. I wear a lot of mittens. I teach third grade and take my kids outside to play every day. I stand outside at carpool duty year-round. I spent a total of 6 years living in Central New York. I know mittens.

This pattern was a fast knit with an easy to read chart. The fronts and backs are opposite in the main color and contrast color and because of the way the thumbs are placed, you can wear them either way. I personally prefer brown out on these. What do you think?

This pattern is being released with several other hat and mitten patterns in The Red Collection so check out the link for more info. I love the wide zigzag mittens and the hat with the fence on it! Of course, I will also need the hat to match my Radio Frequency Mittens.

And in case anyone is wondering.... yes I did don my J. Crew wool pea coat in North Carolina in July to take these pictures. They looked silly with shorts and a t-shirt! ;)

The yarn (Knit Picks Palette) I chose for my Dipped Infinity Scarf has arrived.

I love it and think it's going to be a favorite of mine this fall. Here's the thing. I need to cast on 252 stitches holding a strand of the first two colorways. I dread it. I prefer the long tail cast on and trying to figure out how long that tail will be for 252 stitches is... annoying. Does that make me sound beyond lazy?

Should I just suck it up and do it knowing I may have to redo it? Should I use a different cast on method? Which one? I need an attitude adjustment!

On a more positive note, some of you may notice a new header for my blog. I kind of like having some of my past projects looking at me when I log on. It makes me look pretty crafty, doesn't it?

I am excited to be a part of a Christmas swap on Flickr and have received some information about the person for whom I am crafting! She likes modern fabrics and red green for decorating but also likes some of the newer fabrics with blues and pinks mixed in. She said her style is more fun and whimsical than traditional and elegant. Sounds just like me!

I'm playing around with fabric (don't want to say what I'm making just yet) and have two options so far. Which do you think is better for her? Which do you like better?

Option 1 - Red and green with some whimsical:

Option 2 - includes some blue:

In case anyone is interested that fabrics are from The 12 Days of Christmas by Kate Spain for Moda.